


A Debt Paid In Blood

by pinchmoonlight



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: FAHC, I don't know how tags work, M/M, No Proofreading We Die Like Men, a whole lot of Jeremwood angst, battle buddies, jeremwood, minor mentions of torture, only mentions of the Fake AH Crew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 04:11:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12027846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinchmoonlight/pseuds/pinchmoonlight
Summary: A life for a life. Blood spilled must be paid for with spilled blood. Once the debt is settled, the other may go free. It is the only way.





	A Debt Paid In Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the Jeremwood angst that I managed to break my own heart with :(

An ambush disguised as a weapons deal with a newer client they had just begun working with only a couple of months back was how they had ended up in this situation. The place had been empty when the two Fakes had shown up to scout it out and had remained that way when the clock had struck 7. Ryan waited another 10 minutes before he had decided to call Geoff to let their boss know the meeting had been a bust when the lights suspended above them had winked out of existence and plunged them into darkness. Jeremy hadn't even had had the chance to raise his gun when the room was suddenly swarmed from all directions. Doors kicked open as men in masks and night vision goggles with strict orders to capture and not kill moved to take up formation around the two.

Guns yanked out of their hands before either had had a chance to fire and fight back, left with the only option of surrender as muzzles were placed against their skulls and ropes were bond tightly around their wrists. Bags had been shoved down to block the world around them before hands are roughly ushering them to what Jeremy can only assume is a vehicle of some sort. He's shoved unceremoniously into the back of a van he guesses and Ryan is deposited next to him before the doors slam shut and the engine comes to life.

They drive for what feels like hours. Taking turn after turn and Jeremy soon loses count of how many times they've gone left and right before giving up completely on trying to remember their path. Ryan's attempt comes to a halt soon after his as he grunts in frustration and thumps his head against the floor. The van finally grinds to a halt as he begins to doze off. The abrupt stop jerking his body awake as he strains to hear what's going on just outside. The doors by their feet are yanked open and then there are hands on his body as he's pulled out of the van and onto what feels like sand under his boots. Jeremy doesn't know if Ryan is dragged out behind him and he struggles against the hands holding him which earns him a punch to the gut that leaves him winded and staggering across the ground. It takes him a moment to regain his footing but by that times he's already in some type of building. He walks for a couple of minutes before the hands on his arms halt him. A door to his left clicks open and the men holding him guide him inside. One pulls the bag from his head and the light on the ceiling is harsh as the brightness hits his eyes. The ropes around his hands are cut while he is temporarily distracted and before he can even turn against his captures they have swept from the room and left him all alone.

Blinking the last bit of his temporary blindness from his eyes, Jeremy looks around his cell and there isn't much to it. He's been left what looks like a cheap plastic bucket in the corner for what he thinks must be his makeshift toilet. There's a window placed in the wall across from the door but it seems to be blocked from the other side by some type of thick black curtain. Jeremy presses his ear against the cool glass and strains to hear if something or someone is moving around on the other side but there is nothing there so he shuffles away to examine the door. There is no handle and the material it's made from is thick and durable and Jeremy's hope of trying to break out dwindles away for now. Seeing no other means of escape left he leans his back against the right wall and slides down it, legs outstretched in front of him as he thinks back to Ryan. Not knowing what happened to the other man is setting him on edge. He hopes they've locked him up in a room like his and left him alone but who knows what these people want from them.

He lets his head rest back against the wall, eyes slipping shut as he wonders what the people that have taken them want. To use them as to get information on the rest of the crew? Try and get Geoff to pay a ransom for their return? Or maybe they have darker thoughts in mind to get their prize and that makes Jeremy shivers at the thought, shaking his head to clear the images his mind is starting to cook up. He's no stranger to torture, knows Ryan isn't either, but he doesn't know what these people are capable of and the pit of uneasy forming in his stomach isn't helping the situation. He has to take a deep breath, clench his hands into fists as he tells himself to calm down because being panicky isn't going to help him or his sanity. It takes a few minutes but his heart has returning to a normal pace and the panic has subsided for now. He picks himself up from the floor and starts to pace the length of the room, a good enough distraction for his racing thoughts. He does this for a while as he waits for the inevitable to happen, his worry only increasing as time goes on. What if they've already done away with Ryan already and just decided to leave Jeremy in this suspension for shits and giggles?

He thinks about going to pound on the door or the glass until someone comes in and gives him some answers but his ideas are shut down as a low humming suddenly fills the room. Jeremy stops pacing and looks around the room to try and figure where the noise is coming from when a voice replaces the humming. "A life for a life," the male voice says making Jeremy's blood run cold. "You have one hour." The speaker clicks off but the words feel like they are still echoing around the room.

"Wait!" Jeremy shouts at the ceiling, fear clawing its way up his spine as he processes the words. He yells for another minute or two and realizes he isn't going to get a response. He doesn't know what they've done to warrant this punishment. Who he or Ryan killed along their way that pissed someone off enough that they wanted their life snuffed out. He wants to believe this is all some misunderstanding. That the people giving this ultimatum lost whoever they lost to some random gang violence or to a member of a different crew but there is a small inkling of doubt that is pulling those beliefs farther and farther away as the minutes tick by.

Sinking down onto the floor once again, the young man rests his head in his hands as his heart rabbits against his ribcage. It's only been a few hours since they were taken so the crew has to know they are missing by now and a small spark of hope flares in his chest at the thought that maybe they will be able to save them. But that spark is quenched as Jeremy remembers just how long it took them to get here. How hard it would be for Gavin, even as brilliant as he is, to trace them through all the twists and turns and back roads they took to get to this building. He tries to come up with ways they can make it out of here. Someone slips up and leads the crew in their direction or one of them gets the opportunity to get out and free the other but just by the skill the men had when they first ambushed him and Ryan, Jeremy knows that the likelihood is very low. He feels sick to his stomach as the realization finally hits him that one, if not both of them will die here today. The crew will arrive to the scene of their dead bodies left to rot in these concrete cells.

Jeremy tries not to think about that, tries to keep a hold to what little hope he has but he can feel the tears forming behind his eyes threatening to spill over as he thinks of his family having to live with whatever happens. He has to bite his cheek hard enough to draw blood to keep the pressure at bay as the weight of the situation bears down on him. His hands are shaking where they have fallen to rest against his thighs and he has to clench them hard enough that his nails bite into the skin of his palm until the tremors stop. The breath he takes is unsteady but it gives him enough strength to make the decision he needs to make.

He isn't going to let Ryan die in this place. He isn't going to let the man that means the most in this world to him die at the hands of some bastards who are holding a grudge. With the finality of his choice heavy in his heart, Jeremy pushes himself up off the floor. He doesn't know if his captors have a means of seeing him or not so he just looks up to the ceiling as he speaks. "Take me." He croaks out, voice a little hoarse from the mix of disuse and his yelling from before. "You want a life for a life then take mine. Just leave Ryan alone." The speaker remains silent and the door remains shut which makes anger bubble up under his skin. "Didn't you hear me you motherfuckers? I said kill me! You want to make us pay then go right ahead. I'm lying my life down for you to get your god damn revenge so come and get it!" He's yelling at this point, whole body vibrating with his shouts as he moves toward the window and brings his fist down so hard it makes it rattle. "Are you cowards over there?" He bangs on the glass again. "Answer me, damn it!"

He raises his fist to hit the glass again but stops short as the curtain on the other side shifts. There's a smirk on his face as waits to finally see if his captors will be revealed but when the black fabric falls away all his snappy comments die in his throat and his face drops. A man is slumped against the wall across from the window, strands of blonde hair escaping the pony tail tied up loosely at the back of his head and falling to frame his face. Jeremy can see blood on the white t-shirt that is partially hidden by a worn blue and black leather jacket and his chest seizes painfully as the man moves to reveal where the red has come from. His face is bruised and bleeding, a split lip and most likely broken nose contributing to the redness staining the fabric. Jeremy's fist thumps weakly down from its raised position onto the glass and that makes the man look in his direction, a smile pulling on his lips when their eyes meet.

"Ryan." He breathes out, chest squeezing as a flash of pain crosses the other man's face when he shifts to try and stand. It takes three more attempts before Ryan is finally able to stand, hand placed on the wall to steady him. He limps along the walls until he is standing right in front of the mirror, body leaning heavily against it as he tries to catch his breath. Blue eyes find his again and a smile tugs at Ryan's lips as he looks at Jeremy, bringing the hand that isn't wrapped around his middle to press against the glass on the other side of where Jeremy's own hand rests. "Hey." He whispers and Jeremy jolts at the sound of his voice, thinks that there must be mics hidden around the room that connect to the speakers that allow them to hear each other. His attention is brought back when Ryan starts to say something else only to be cut short with a round of coughing. Jeremy shushes him after it passes and he tries to speak again, worried that the coughing will do more damage to what has already been dealt. Ryan listens, opting to rest his forehead against the cool glass between them and Jeremy mirrors the action as if it will allow him to feel the other's skin against his. They stay like that, the sound of their breathing mingling together a comfort to both of them. Jeremy closes his eyes and just listens and like this, it's almost as if the dire situation they are being faced with has melted away.

That feeling doesn't last for too long, broken by the humming of the speakers coming to life somewhere above their heads. "Times up," the male voice fills the calming silence and Jeremy opens his eyes just in time to see Ryan flinch as the words are spoken. He knows what's coming next just like Jeremy does and he would do anything for just a few more moments before they have to say goodbye. "Have you decided?" The voice asks and its Jeremy turn to flinch. They haven't moved from their position and its takes a lot of strength to life his head from the glass to answer the voice. He opens his mouth, ready to volunteer himself but Ryan speaks up before him. "Take me."

Jeremy eyes are wide as he stares at him but Ryan isn't looking back, instead has tilted his head to look at something in the corner of his room that Jeremy can't see but can only assume is a camera. "You kill me and you let him go free, you understand me?" His voice is steel as he speaks and Jeremy can tell he's fighting his body to remain imposing, can see just how much standing with his back straight and voice level is taking its toll but it doesn't stop him. Even in the face of death Ryan can make sure those trying to take his life are filled with fear. Jeremy would be impressed if this were literally any other situation where Ryan isn't willing to trade his life for Jeremy's freedom and the chorus of pleas leaving his mouth in his panic prove that this was not how it was supposed to go.

He doesn't realize the Ryan has turned to look at him again, blue eyes soft and voice even softer as he smiles at Jeremy. "You give them hell for me, you hear me? You and the rest of the crew. You give them hell." He looks tired and Jeremy wants to look away, doesn't want the last image he has of Ryan to be one of a broken man but he can't bring himself to do it. His heart beat is pumping loudly in his ears and when he hears a door open, it tries to crawl its way out of his chest but gets lodged in his throat. He can see a man in a mask step into the room behind Ryan, light glinting off the silver pistol clasped in his grasp.

"Say your goodbyes, Vagabond." The masked man grunts and Ryan just nods, places his hand back against the glass and Jeremy presses his down harder as if the pressure will be enough to crack the surface so he can reach Ryan's. That damn smile is back on his face again and Jeremy just wants this all to end. Just wants to go home with Ryan by his side and life their lives like they should be.

"Don't cry Lil J." Jeremy hadn't noticed the tears from before had returned and are now falling from his eyes and onto his cheeks. "You can't have him!" He shouts at the man, smacking his hand against the glass. "Take me instead of him. You have to take me instead of him!" He turns desperate eyes to Ryan, pleading. "Please don't leave me." He sobs and Ryan shushes him gently. "It's alright, Jeremy. It's all going to be alright." Ryan's trying to be reassuring but that only make the tears fall harder. "I want you to know that all the years I was with the crew, I always felt like something was missing from my life. The others filled a hole that had been in my heart for some time but there was still a piece that hadn't been filled. Then you walked in one day with that stupid cowboy hat and purple jacket and that big personality of yours." Ryan laughs and god Jeremy just wants this awful nightmare to end. "And I got to know you. Worked with you on heists, teamed up for hits and shakedowns and after a while I finally found out what that missing piece was." His voice cracks and his eyes are brighter than they were before."It was you Jeremy. You were the missing piece." They press their foreheads against the glass at the same time and Jeremy wishes this would just all go away.

"I love you, Ryan," he manages to choke out. "I love you so damn much." And he does. Has for some time now and when Jeremy thinks back to when it had finally hit him, this is not how he imagined telling Ryan just how he felt. Ryan breath hitches on the other side of the glass and when Jeremy locks eyes with him, his pain is reflected back. "I love you too, Jeremy." Ryan whispers, voice thick as his own tears begin to fall and squeezes his eyes shut as he fights back his own sob. "God, I love you too."

The sound of a safety being clicked off resonates through his bones and the sound of the gun firing rips a scream from his throat as Ryan's head jerks and then thumps back to rest against the glass as his body sags forward. Jeremy is pleading and begging for him to open his eyes again even though he knows that that isn't going to happen no matter how many times he asks. His hand has slid down from the glass and his body soon follows until Jeremy can only see the crumpled heap lying unmoving against the concrete.

"No no no no no no no! Ryan, please." Jeremy crashes down to his knees and wraps his arms around his middle, hunching in on himself. His brain registers the click of the door opening behind him but Jeremy doesn't care. He doesn't care if they are letting him go free or if they are coming to finish him off as well and Jeremy prays he's going to be spared having to live through this pain any longer but it seems that the universe wants to see him suffer. "The debt has been paid" The words carve into his already torn up heart and his sobs echo through the room as he is left alone once again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by/based on this post
> 
> Feedback is greatly appreciated!


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